EXILED FROM CHINATOWN: the girls take on the big apple! THE END!!! p.25

[troobabiee7]

Happy 4th of July! Those pictures were so touching. I've never been to the church and I'm not sure if I'd be able to deal with going. What a crazy day that was. My neighborhoods full of firefighters, several of whom died on that day. Two of my best friends on my block lost their uncle, one of the first firefighters who went down to the site to help, and someone jumped from the building and landed on him. Our family's have been close for 15-years now and it breaks my heart. We were all huddled together that day when my friends parents got the call, and I'll never forget them franticaly running home in tears. It was beyond heartbreaking. There are first-hand accounts out there of what happened to him and they're horrifying. This is a memorial page of his..

http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=93191

That whole day almost seems like a blur. That afternoon my neighborhood was covered in smoke and there were burnt papers in a myriad of languages falling from the sky, all from the WTC site. We still have a lot of them saved. Looking back now it's hard to imagine that anything like that even happened...

 

[MeMom]

I had never seen this. That's a very cool way to keep the memory of those we lost alive.

 

[Happy Elf]

Amazing and touching pictures. I was emotional looking at the pictures, so I can imagine what it was like to see in person. What an amazing collection of things to remember that day. I will never forget that day.

 

[HG_MOM]

Dawn, those pictures were incredible to see...I can't imagine actually being there. I remember sitting in front of the TV for days that September until I just finally had to turn the TV off. I am so glad you enjoyed your visit.

 

[Charleston Princess]

A very emotional and touching update, Dawn. Thank you for sharing that with us.

 

[KristinAnne]

Wow! The chapel looks so powerful. We went in 2004, but didn't go into the chapel. I'm not sure if they would have had all the memorials set up then or not. The area looked much different then! Thanks for a great update! I hope you had a good 4th!

 

[jwwi]

Dawn,
Amazing pictures from the chapel, I learned a few things about 9/11 from seeing all the pictures. It sure was a horrible, sad and unsettling time. But the spirit of America became apparent with all the grief and shock.
Your pictures from Top of the Rock are cool, I like that you went to see both the daylight/night views. I work with someone who's grandfather built buildings in NYC. He is one of the men on the iconic picture of the men sitting on a piece of metal, all their feet are dangling, which creeps me out because I am afraid of heights. (I believe the picture is behind the area where they take your picture when you are going thru the cue, just before you watch the show).

 

[AussieAngel]

Aww, we visited St Paul's Chapel too, in January. Even though I'm not American, 9/11 always hit home pretty hard with me, so it was on top of my list to visit the little chapel which miraculously survived when so many other buildings around it didn't. It really was an amazing place to visit and pay respects to all those who lost their lives that day.

When we went to New York for the first time (in 2006), we visited the World Trade Center site then. They didn't have the big fences up at that time, and there were lots and lots of people all gathered around being sticky-noses. There were people selling 9/11 brochures who weren't meant to be there, and there were graphic photos up everywhere of the day's awful events.

This time though, when we visited in January, I got a completely different vibe from the Site. There weren't people gathering around - instead, people were walking past respectfully and quietly. The fence was up and the photos weren't of the buildings falling down, but instead, there were images of what they planned for the future. I got the feeling the people of New York are very much trying to move on and think positively towards the future, rather than focusing on that awful day. Still respectfully and still remembering of course, but it felt much more positive and geared towards the future.

Anyhoo, sorry for raving! Thanks for posting your touching pictures.

 

[xoktenox]

Hey Dawn, hope you had a nice 4th!

Thanks for sharing all those pictures with us from the chapel. I've never been down there but its an amazing way to remember all who lost their lives on 9/11. There's not a single person in this country who doesn't remember where they were when they found out about what had happened. It's so sad to remember but the chapel is a nice way to commemorate what the volunteers did for us.

On a happier note, I just also read the top of the rock update. How beautiful! The tour guide from the bus tour sounds hilarious too. Great updates, of course I can't wait to read more

 

[joy13]

What a touching update. I had no idea that chapel existed. I went to Ground Zero, but just walked around the site - I did see the cross left from the rubble. I wish I had known about the chapel - thanks for sharing that with us.

 

[MagicShell]

That was a very emotional update. Thanks for sharing it. It is still so hard to believe that happened. It was such a sad time. One year later on 9-11 my son was born, so now that date causes mixed feelings in our house. On the day he was born we were watching the "one year ago" footage on TV about the 9-11 attacks and it was such a happy day for us, but I felt so bad for all the people still living with the loss of the year before.

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

I am so glad you told us about that church. I would never have known about it otherwise - now we will definitely visit it when we go to NY next year.

 

[MA pigletfan]

wonderful updates Dawn...though i seriously got vertigo just looking at the top of the rock pictures!!
Your last update: I never knew that the church had such a beautiful memorial inside. I will definitely have to go visit when I am in NYC again. thank you for such a patriotic and heartfelt update.

 

[shannon47142]

the flag of honoe is an amazing tribute--thanks for sharing

 

[punkin413]

with everyone commenting on where they were when 9-11 happened, i thought i would share how i heard too. i was working at a law firm at the time. ray didn't have to be at work until 10:00 that morning and i had to be at my office at 8:30. we were sharing a car at the time and he took me to work and dropped me off (we weren't married yet but were engaged and living together). not long after i got there he called me and said that a plane just hit the world trade center. at that point they thought it was an accident. well, minutes later he calls me back and said that another one just hit and that it was no accident. i told my boss what was going on and she started freaking out because her father was at the legislature in atlanta and of course your first thought is that something is going to happen to any sort of "official" building in a big city. anyway, of course no one was working that day but just sort of standing around in front of a TV so i ended up walking up to ray's work not long after that and saw the first building fall. it was just all so horrific and i couldn't believe i was actually watching it.

i don't know if you guys have ever heard the song, "covered in rain" by john mayer but he wrote it while living in NYC during those days after 9-11 and i just love that song. a couple of the lines just hit home for me and i can really relate. here are the lyrics:

These days, with the world getting colder,
She spends more time sleeping over
Than I planned.

Tonight we're gonna order in,
Drinking wine and watch some CNN.
It's dark I know but then again
It's the brightest thing I got

When I'm covered in rain
When I'm covered in rain, rain, rain, rain
no, I am covered in rain, rain

Firewoods to fire places
Summer snow and fallen places
now we're people watching other people, people watching you and I
Standing by the missing signs at the CVS by the checkout line
Put your tiny hands in mine
Cause your the brightest thing I got

When you're covered in rain
Cause I'm covered in rain
Cause I'm covered in rain
No I'm covered in rain

And It's alright
If you dont want to go on
And It's alright
If you dont want to be alone
And It's alright
If you dont want to go home

Come December Lydia left
Mentioned Something about it being for the best
and I can't say I disagree
Now I'm standing facing west
tracing my fingers round a silhouette
I haven't gotten used to yet
but it's the brightest thing I got

And I'm covered in rain
Cus I'm covered in rain
Cus I'm covered in rain
You and me and everyone, covered in rain

Those pictures made me cry. I personally don't think I could ever go down to the site again. If I'm driving down the West Side Highway, I will not look at that side, I just can't. They say that the Towers were such a major place in NY, that everyone in NYC either knew somebody or knows somebody who knew somebody who died on 9/11. Obviously I don't know every NYer, but I do know that out of the ones I know, it's absolutely true. I know that I personally could probably talk about everything I saw and experienced on 9/11, type for 24 hours straight, and still not be done. There's a lot in your TR that I haven't done, and I've lived in NY my entire life, but going to the Twin Towers site is something I will probably never do, I've lived through it once, I don't want to do it again. So I'm glad you were able to give us your take and I was able to read it behind the safety of my laptop, if that makes any sense.

oh, i totally believe it. later on we got on a water tour and the guide was telling us how big the buildings were. i can't imagine how many people worked there. i totally understand you not wanting to go down there because it hits so close to home. i knew i wanted to because i don't know if i will ever return to NYC or not (i hope to) and i knew i'd regret not seeing where the most historically significant event in my life took place.

Happy 4th of July! Those pictures were so touching. I've never been to the church and I'm not sure if I'd be able to deal with going. What a crazy day that was. My neighborhoods full of firefighters, several of whom died on that day. Two of my best friends on my block lost their uncle, one of the first firefighters who went down to the site to help, and someone jumped from the building and landed on him. Our family's have been close for 15-years now and it breaks my heart. We were all huddled together that day when my friends parents got the call, and I'll never forget them franticaly running home in tears. It was beyond heartbreaking. There are first-hand accounts out there of what happened to him and they're horrifying. This is a memorial page of his..

http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=93191

That whole day almost seems like a blur. That afternoon my neighborhood was covered in smoke and there were burnt papers in a myriad of languages falling from the sky, all from the WTC site. We still have a lot of them saved. Looking back now it's hard to imagine that anything like that even happened...

i'm so sorry to hear you lost several people close to you and your family. i read several of the posts on that page and they brought tears to my eyes. so sad! i'm sure it was a horrible day for you guys. for us it was just so surreal. i knew what was going on but couldn't believe it was REALLY happening. i just remember when i saw people jumping off the buildings i couldn't look and that image haunted me for weeks....still does.

I had never seen this. That's a very cool way to keep the memory of those we lost alive.

i thought so, too.

Amazing and touching pictures. I was emotional looking at the pictures, so I can imagine what it was like to see in person. What an amazing collection of things to remember that day. I will never forget that day.

i know....me either. it was a special part of the trip that i will never, ever forget and i'm glad we did it.

Dawn, those pictures were incredible to see...I can't imagine actually being there. I remember sitting in front of the TV for days that September until I just finally had to turn the TV off. I am so glad you enjoyed your visit.

i know....CNN and MSNBC was all i watched for like a month. i think a lot of people were like that. you do eventually have to pull yourself away for awhile though to keep your mind sane. it seems like movies released around that time did really well because people were just trying to get their mind off it.

A very emotional and touching update, Dawn. Thank you for sharing that with us.

you're welcome.

 

[punkin413]

Wow! The chapel looks so powerful. We went in 2004, but didn't go into the chapel. I'm not sure if they would have had all the memorials set up then or not. The area looked much different then! Thanks for a great update! I hope you had a good 4th!

glad you enjoyed it. the chapel was really a neat thing to see.

Dawn,
Amazing pictures from the chapel, I learned a few things about 9/11 from seeing all the pictures. It sure was a horrible, sad and unsettling time. But the spirit of America became apparent with all the grief and shock.
Your pictures from Top of the Rock are cool, I like that you went to see both the daylight/night views. I work with someone who's grandfather built buildings in NYC. He is one of the men on the iconic picture of the men sitting on a piece of metal, all their feet are dangling, which creeps me out because I am afraid of heights. (I believe the picture is behind the area where they take your picture when you are going thru the cue, just before you watch the show).

oh, yes, i know that picture! they had that picture on everything for sale up in the gift shop at top of the rock. and that is the picture where you get a shot of your party before you got up, the one we forgot to look at! very cool that your grandfather is in it!!!!

Aww, we visited St Paul's Chapel too, in January. Even though I'm not American, 9/11 always hit home pretty hard with me, so it was on top of my list to visit the little chapel which miraculously survived when so many other buildings around it didn't. It really was an amazing place to visit and pay respects to all those who lost their lives that day.

When we went to New York for the first time (in 2006), we visited the World Trade Center site then. They didn't have the big fences up at that time, and there were lots and lots of people all gathered around being sticky-noses. There were people selling 9/11 brochures who weren't meant to be there, and there were graphic photos up everywhere of the day's awful events.

This time though, when we visited in January, I got a completely different vibe from the Site. There weren't people gathering around - instead, people were walking past respectfully and quietly. The fence was up and the photos weren't of the buildings falling down, but instead, there were images of what they planned for the future. I got the feeling the people of New York are very much trying to move on and think positively towards the future, rather than focusing on that awful day. Still respectfully and still remembering of course, but it felt much more positive and geared towards the future.

Anyhoo, sorry for raving! Thanks for posting your touching pictures.

thanks for sharing your thoughts - it's nice to know that the attitude around the site has changed. i don't know that i'd enjoy seeing photos of what happened there that day. they just bother me. i know it was real and i know we shouldn't ignore it, but i'd rather see photos of what we did to OVERCOME this tragedy instead of linger on the bad stuff.

Hey Dawn, hope you had a nice 4th!

Thanks for sharing all those pictures with us from the chapel. I've never been down there but its an amazing way to remember all who lost their lives on 9/11. There's not a single person in this country who doesn't remember where they were when they found out about what had happened. It's so sad to remember but the chapel is a nice way to commemorate what the volunteers did for us.

On a happier note, I just also read the top of the rock update. How beautiful! The tour guide from the bus tour sounds hilarious too. Great updates, of course I can't wait to read more

i definitely enjoyed the chapel. it was a touching experience. top of the rock was so fun! and yes, that tour guide was a trip!

What a touching update. I had no idea that chapel existed. I went to Ground Zero, but just walked around the site - I did see the cross left from the rubble. I wish I had known about the chapel - thanks for sharing that with us.

maybe you can go back one day and see the chapel. i'm glad we went by there.

That was a very emotional update. Thanks for sharing it. It is still so hard to believe that happened. It was such a sad time. One year later on 9-11 my son was born, so now that date causes mixed feelings in our house. On the day he was born we were watching the "one year ago" footage on TV about the 9-11 attacks and it was such a happy day for us, but I felt so bad for all the people still living with the loss of the year before.

you're welcome. my best friend's little boy was due on 9.11.06 and she had mixed feelings on it. he ended up being born on 9.12 so it was a non-issue anyway. but i think it's good to just focus on the good and celebrate his birthday and try not to think about the bad stuff just for that one day!

I am so glad you told us about that church. I would never have known about it otherwise - now we will definitely visit it when we go to NY next year.

oh, i'm glad i told you too, then! you will definitely want to see it. it's just unbelievable what they have in there. be sure to have some tissue with you for the tears.

wonderful updates Dawn...though i seriously got vertigo just looking at the top of the rock pictures!!
Your last update: I never knew that the church had such a beautiful memorial inside. I will definitely have to go visit when I am in NYC again. thank you for such a patriotic and heartfelt update.

you're welcome! i hope you get to go by there soon. it's really worth taking the time to see.

the flag of honoe is an amazing tribute--thanks for sharing

i thought so too. you're welcome.

 

[punkin413]

okay......sad stuff over! no more tears!!!!!

after leaving the WTC area i believe we saw a century 21 store nearby and went shopping. that place was CRAZY!!!!!! i looked around but didn't find anything. i believe both brooke and anna bought a dress there.

we trudged on down broadway heading south towards battery park. i thought this church was so pretty - i love the sculptures!

soon we came to wall street.

this is wall street, which gets its name because it's so narrow.....

i saw this store nearby and thought the name was pretty funny.

this bull is near wall street. i don't know much about the stock market but i know that the bull is a symbol of financial optimism and prosperity. everyone was rubbing him for luck but there was such a mob over there i just watched from afar.

this guy decided to rub the other end.....specifically the bulls...um.....man parts.

actually he wasn't the only one that did that in the few seconds we were standing there. several men took part. boys.

we saw this as we got closer to battery park....

it was fleet week when we were there. can you tell?

the reason we came to battery park was to check out the view of the statue of liberty. the park is located at the very south end of manhattan. look, there she is!

we made our way out towards the water to get some more pictures....

some military choppers going over.....

this boat looked sorta like a pirate ship....

continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32592811&postcount=298

 

[punkin413]

this is ellis island....

we didn't plan a trip to the statue of liberty because you can't go up in it any more. (little did we know that they were going to start letting people do that again only a few weeks after we left!) but we do eventually get a suprisingly closer look at her which you will see later.

there is a monument to all the military branches behind where we were standing....

thought this view was cool....

pretty flowers at battery park....

it was well after lunch at this point and we were getting hungry. so we went in search of something quick to eat. we found a little place where you could build your own salad and that sounded perfect to all of us. i forget the name of it but it was pretty good!

i had this. it was sort of an italian salad. i believe i had greens, chicken, artichokes, onions, tomatoes, parmesean cheese and a balsamic dressing.

anna had this. from what i remember and can see, she had greens, chicken, gorgonzola cheese, oranges and balsamic dressing.

i believe brooke had lettuce, chicken, corn, cheese and some sort of southwest dressing.

i had the awesome idea of getting a cannoli for us to share after lunch but i didn't tell either of the girls i got it until i got to the table.

little did i know that anna had the same idea.....

oh, well! at least she got chocolate and i got plain. they were both good, too!

with our hunger satisfied, we headed out in search of the correct subway to take to brooklyn to get off at high street and walk back to manhattan via the brooklyn bridge. my guide book told me this was the blue A/C line. well, good luck finding it! we looked everywhere and couldn't figure out how to get on the right line. we asked some locals and they told us, but once we got there and got down into the subway stations, the signs didn't look right to me.

i spotted a phone that said something about dial "0" for assistance so i did. the guy that answered said, "911....what's your emergency?" i immediately said, "oh, i'm sorry. i don't have an emergency. i just picked up this phone to figure out which subway to get on." so he asks me where i need to go and then tells me which direction to go in. as we're walking away from the phone some girl tells me that the guy told me wrong and i needed to take another train. i didn't know who to believe....some random girl i saw on the subway or a telephone on the wall!!!! i was getting really frustrated really fast. i have no doubt that we spent at least 45 minutes looking for the right train. it was annoying!

when we finally found what we thought was the right train i think we were on the wrong side of the platform and i'm pretty sure we ended up taking a train that went south of where we wanted to go. so we had a little walking to do once we got off the train.

sorry no pictures of the train ride - i was too peeved! it was really weird to know we were in the subway below the water though!

next time: a walk across the brooklyn bridge and i discover i loathe chinatown....no matter how cheap their purses are!!!!!

 

[monkey68]

I can't believe you didn't find anything at Century 21! That is one of my favorite stores of all time. So much nice stuff. You just need to look and be patient to dig through everything. But it can be a madhouse. I used to work at NYU Downtown Hospital, which is a few blocks away from Century 21 and the South Street Seaport (not sure if you went there), and on lunch, everyone always went down to Century and came back with lots of bags.

And that other store you took a picture of, Daffy's, the one that says "Bargains for Millionaires" is another pretty decent store if you get lucky. I prefer Century, but Daffy's usually has some great deals as well, but I don't have as much luck there. They seem to be more hit or miss for me.

 

[hlrababy]

Wow Dawn! Not a lot of words for that update, but I did shed some tears. Thank you for posting those pictures!